The Players and Their Masks
by TayTay4936
Summary: My take on the chronicles of the storylines involving Edge and Christian, the Hardys, Trish, and Lita. Slash/Femslash, multiple pairings: E&C, Junk, Trish/Lita, mentioned Styles/Daniels
1. Chapter 1

Okay so... after getting over the hurdle of writing my first wrestling fic, I've decided to attempt another one. I may have bitten off more than I can chew this time, but I hope it eventually turns out well. I'm not quite sure how long it's going to be, but it will certainly have multiple chapters considering its time frame will cover multiple years, so we'll see. This was originally going to be multiple separate fics, but I decided instead to merge them. Feedback is so much appreciated! Thanks for reading!

* * *

As his eyes traveled around the waiting room of the hospital, Jeff found his mind wandering.

They'd come so far...all of them. There was no way it could end like this. They'd sacrificed too much.

His eyes moved from face to face, seeing everyone's devastation painted so clearly. Did he know how much he meant to the boys? How much they all loved and respected him? Did he know how much the new young guys looked up to him, taking comfort in the knowledge that they had a friend in one of the vets, someone who didn't look at them with disdain as kids coming in to take his spot?

The show that night had been canceled. One of the few times ever. Vince was furious, but he had no choice. Nearly every member of his roster wanted to be at the hospital. The few that were willing to do the show weren't nearly enough to fill two hours, so Vince had no other alternative than to call it off.

Subconsciously, Jeff's eyes avoided at all costs the faces he knew would be the most devastated. He looked over at Phil, who was holding a sleeping Ruby in his arms, grateful beyond words he had come when he'd called. He finally found the courage to bring his gaze to those he had been avoiding.

He saw Trish and Amy huddled in a corner, both of their faces streaked with tears. They had flown in as soon as they'd heard the news.

He forced himself to look at his brother, his face buried in Reby's chest, her arms wrapped around him like a mother holding her child. Jeff's heart nearly tore. He and Matt were so close. So few people took the time to understand his brother, but _he _did, and it'd caused their friendship to last to this day. The two of them had done so much for each other and took care of one another...Jeff didn't want to think about how Matt would react if he didn't make it.

He saved the hardest one for last. He knew just one glance at him would completely shatter his heart. He sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to look over at Adam, seeing the look of absolute confusion and heartbreak across his tear-stained face. To Jeff, he looked like a little boy whose entire world had been ripped away from him, leaving him cold and alone in the middle of nowhere.

Jeff shivered merely looking at him. He subconsciously drew Phil closer to him, knowing that he himself would never be able to handle the type of pain Adam was going through right now.

He had fled to the hospital as soon as he'd heard, knowing his best friend and his brother would both need him, and even though they sat in different parts of the room, Adam not wanting to be near anyone other than his mom and the Resos, he knew that Adam appreciated that he was there.

As they waited for news, Jeff let his mind drift to how their lives had come to this point, as he prayed to a god he wasn't sure he believed in that Jay would make it out alive.

TBC

* * *

Wow, so, that was really depressing. A lot more depressing than I thought it was gonna be. I know it was short, but this was just an introduction...The rest of the chapters will be much longer. Let me know what you think. Reviews are love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **I know it's been forever since I updated, and I'm so so sorry for that! Life has been so far beyond busy, but hopefully I'll have so more free time now that my job is ending and I'm going back to school in the Fall. I had to write this whole chapter on sticky notes at work again. Please review, and thank you so much for reading!

* * *

It all started the day Jay was signed.

Almost as soon as Adam got signed, he began pestering for the office to give Jay a job, or at the very least, look at him and give him a shot. He wholeheartedly believed that once they saw how talented he was, they would see that they had to have him.

Adam always joked about how ridiculous it was that he had been wrestling a year and a half longer than Jay, yet Jay already surpassed him in the ring. Everything just seemed to come easy for the younger man, yet Adam was the one with the opportunities.

His constant hint dropping and flat out pleading only increased once he got called up to tv. He had no idea what this "Edge" character was supposed to be, so he had no clue what to do with himself. He knew that if he had Jay with him, they'd be able to bounce off each other, and Jay would always be there to reassure him and point him in the right direction.

Luckily for Adam, the one person who seemed to listen to his pleas was Jim Cornette. Jim was curious about this guy, so he made sure to book him in a dark match with Adam at the show in Cornwall.

When he told Adam the news, he could tell from the pure elation on the young man's face that he had done the right thing. Now he just hoped this feeling of vindication held up after the show.

* * *

On the day of the show in Cornwall, everyone backstage was running around, making sure everything was in place and ready to go.

Jim knew he probably should have been doing the same thing, but he instead found himself alone backstage in front of one of the monitors, anxiously waiting for the dark match to start.

Finally, the time came and he watched with worried eyes as Adam and this unknown guy began to square off.

By the end of the match, Jim was absolutely stunned. He ran to make sure to catch up with Adam and Jay so he could tell them how impressed he was with the both of them, particularly Jay. He vowed to himself that day to get him on one of the company's training camps ASAP.

* * *

After hope and disappointment the first time around, Jay finally got the call that he was on a training camp, one that he wasn't getting bumped from, unlike the experience he had had a few months before.

When Jim had called him and told him the good news, he joked that after all the work he put into getting him a spot, Jay could _not _embarrass him.

Though he knew the comment was in jest, he swore, to Jim and to himself, that he would prove the other man's faith valid.

* * *

They both needn't have worried.

Jay was not only talented, but he was clearly superior to everyone else on the camp, leading him to be the only one offered a contract before the camp was even over.

After causing himself night after night of unnecessary stress, waiting in anticipation, Jay's contract finally came in the mail.

He held it in shaking hands as he and Adam sat in different countries, only connected by a phone line. Adam was crying, which made Jay's own eyes water.

This was only the beginning.

* * *

They didn't know it at the time, frankly, it didn't even really occur to them, but they were the first of their kind.

Not necessarily the first gay couple in the wrestling business, but the first to be completely open about it. It never really occurred to them not to be. They had been together for over ten years already and best friends even longer than that.

Growing up in Canada, there was the occasional comment, but it was never a huge problem.

While traveling on the independents, they were smart enough to not show their relationship in front of certain people...like the crazy KKK guy in Tennessee, and they were always professional, but they had never been in any type of closet.

This soon became a problem with one Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I've finally been able to update this story! I hope the wait paid off. I didn't know exactly how much this chapter was going to include...and then it just kind of ran away with me. I hope it works.

Also, just so no one's confused, in this chapter:Dave = Gangrel and AJ and Chris = AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels

* * *

Adam and Jay both thought everything was fine until one fateful day.

They got word that Vince wanted to have a meeting with them.

Both men were a bit surprised, not really knowing what it could be about. However, as soon as they stepped foot into Vince's office, they could tell it was serious.

"Sit down," the boss said, motioning towards two chairs positioned in front of his desk.

"Alright, listen." He wasted no time, getting straight to the point. "I know about you two's relationship and it's just not gonna work. I don't care what the two of you do in your own bedroom, that's your business, but I can't very well have my audience looking up to openly gay individuals.

Now, I don't want to worry you. From what I've heard and seen, you're both extremely talented, but I can't take the risk of people finding out or even suspecting about the two of you. I'm having a hard enough time as it is trying to make people believe Hardy is just "eccentric" and "creative". So, here's what we're going to do. From now on, in terms of storyline, the two of you are brothers."

Adam and Jay looked at each other in confusion.

"_Brothers_?" they asked in unison.

"Yes," Vince answered with a hint of finality. "It works. You've both got the long blonde hair thing goin' and you've known each other long enough that you can pull off the "history" aspect of being brothers. It'll work. We'll bring you, Adam, into the angle with Jason and Dave, where we'll eventually expose you as Christian's 'brother'."

They both sat there, silently mewling over the news they had just been delivered.

They knew they didn't really have a choice; they'd practically just been hired, for god's sake, so, as much as they hated the idea, both men agreed to the plan.

As they exited the boss' office, they both felt sick to their stomachs.

* * *

That day had been an important one for all of them, Jeff remembers.

Word spread like wildfire that the two "out" guys were now gonna be "brothers".

When he heard the news, he immediately felt sorry for them, knowing how much that had to suck. It was hard enough on him to try to hide his sexuality at every moment, and he had been single all of his life. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for two people who were together, much less together since they were kids...at least, that was what he had heard.

He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard even more people enter the waiting room of the hospital, a thick southern accent alerting him to who was on approach.

He watched silently as AJ entered the room, tears already in his eyes, as he immediately started asking for information. AJ felt Chris behind him, reeling him in like he always did, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist in an attempt to calm him.

Jeff watched as what little information was known was given to the two newcomers, the heartbreak showing clearly on their faces.

Chris brought AJ over to the chairs, never losing his hold on him, knowing he had to be strong for his lover right now.

Just before Jeff was about to return to his trip down memory lane, he caught a glimpse of his love, who he noticed had a very serious look on his face. He followed Phil's gaze and realized he was staring straight at Adam, who was completely unaware that he was being watched.

"You okay, darlin'?" he asked gently, not wanting to startle him.

Phil brought himself out of his thoughts and turned to Jeff, giving him a small smile.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"What ya thinkin' about?" Jeff asked.

Phil brought his eyes to Adam one more time, that same solemn expression returning to his face once again.

"I'll tell you later." He turned back to Jeff, giving him his full attention. "I'll tell you later, I promise."

Satisfied that his lover was telling the truth, Jeff nodded silently, pulling Phil against him once more as he let his previous thoughts resume.

* * *

Jeff took it upon himself to introduce himself and his brother to the two blonde Canadians, knocking on their hotel room door one night after a show.

"Hey, I'm Jeff and this is my brother, Matt. We just kinda wanted to stop by and say hi and kind of a 'welcome aboard'." He laughed slightly at his own corniness.

Jay, who had answered the door, chuckled slightly, offering a genuine smile.

"Thanks a lot. You guys wanna come in?"

As the two brothers entered the room, they saw Adam sitting on the bed, in front of a muted TV.

"Listen," Jeff started. "I heard about your meeting with Vince and I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. I had to sit through one of those meetings, too, and it absolutely sucked. I can't even imagine what it must be like for you two, being in a relationship and all, but I just wanted to let you know that if you ever wanna talk...or even just to hang out, I'm here. We both are, right, Matt?"

Jeff turned to his brother, who, though he had remained silent, gave a nod of agreement.

"Yeah," he finally said. "We should hang out sometime. Especially since we're all kinda on the same level of the food chain right now."

Adam smiled and got up from the bed, going over to the others in the room.

"Thanks, that really means a lot. I'm Adam; that's Jay."

And thus, history was set in motion.

* * *

A warm smile came to Jeff's face as he remembered those early days.

Just the four of them, trying to make it. Looking for their place in the world.

They had all hit it off, Jeff with Adam and Matt with Jay especially, but they all meshed together perfectly, making their own little family on the road.

A family that would expand as time wore on.

But, for a while at least, it was just them.

They started traveling together, which led to some unforgettable experiences.

One memory in particular found its way to the front of Jeff's mind. He didn't know why; he hadn't thought of it in ages.

_They were in a small southern town after a show. They didn't have anywhere to be the next day, so they decided to venture out to the local carnival, which was going on that week._

_They rode the rides, Jeff and Adam acting like 6-year-olds, played a few games, and indulged in all the junk food the place had to offer._

_They were walking around the midway when a woman's voice called out to them._

_She was sitting at a table covered with a colorful cloth, upon which sat decks of cards and stones._

"_Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude, but could I do a reading on you gentlemen? I won't charge you a thing, I am just getting such a strong aura from you that I feel I have to get in touch with you."_

_Jeff, who had always been interested in all things odd, strange, or mysterious, was all for it. The others, realizing they had nothing to lose, agreed, the four of them pulling up chairs and sitting across from the woman._

"_Thank you so much," the woman said. "I just had to work with you. First of all, you two..." She turned towards Adam and Jay. "I have never sensed such a strong bond between two individuals in my life. In all my years, I've never felt love so strong."_

_Adam and Jay looked at each other in surprise, not believing a stranger could pick up on them like that, but smiled at each other, appreciating her words._

"_Can I read your cards?"_

_They nodded as the woman asked them to organize one of the decks. She gazed at the results before bringing her eyes back to the two men._

"_Your love truly is a rare find. You have been the single constant throughout each other's many lifetimes. True soul mates, I think. Many people, even those who also do this, don't believe in that sort of thing, but I do. Anyway, your love will remain your constant throughout life's trials. And you will have many trials."_

_At this, both men looked at each other, trying their best to hide their unease._

"_You will go through many ups and many downs, but you must hold on to the love that you share. There will be times that you will be separated physically, but it is in those times that you must hold on the tightest. As long as you always remember that you have each other, you will be able to conquer anything."_

_She then shifted her attention to Adam individually._

"_Now, you. I can see that you've had a lot of good and a lot of bad in your life. My one piece of advice to you is this. Do not take him," she pointed at Jay, "for granted. He will be a constant in your life and he will never abandon you, but just remember that he is a gift. He was brought to you and he can just as easily be taken away. Do not forget what it is you have in him."_

_Adam was surprised by the gravity of her tone, but he nodded silently, taking her words in._

"_And you," she said, turning to Jay. "You're a strong one. You're a caretaker, a helper. You'll carry a lot of other people's baggage throughout your life. I just want you to remember that you deserve just as much as what you give out. There will come a time when you will have to make a very hard decision. I want to let you know that it's okay to be a bit selfish. You'll have earned it, and it will all work out for the best."_

"_What about us?" Jeff asked, his curiosity piqued now more than ever._

_The woman turned to Jeff, a warm smile lighting her face._

"_Ah, yes, you. You are a unique creature, aren't you?"_

_At this, both Jeff and Matt had to laugh. That summed Jeff up in a nutshell._

"_Your spirit is a truly beautiful thing. I know you've had trouble in the past with people accepting you, but don't lose yourself to them. Please. Beauty and peace and love are so rare in this world that you must hold on to it."_

"_But...what about..."_

_Jeff didn't want to finish. He was too embarrassed._

_He had spent his life surrounded by people he loved and who loved him, and yet at times, he still felt utterly alone. He hated to admit it, but as happy as he tried to be most of the time, content with bachelorhood, he craved a lover, someone to finally get him completely, someone who could see into him and make him whole._

_The woman across from him knew exactly the feelings he was afraid to voice._

"_You will find love; I promise you that. It will not be soon; in fact, it won't be for several years, but listen to me when I tell you this. Be patient. When it does finally come along, it will come from an unexpected place, but it will be everything you've ever dreamed of and more. It will be powerful and beautiful and it will change your life, in more ways than one. It may even rival the love of these two."_

_At this, she motioned towards the two Canadians._

"_It will be the perfect fit to the empty space I know you have inside you. You just have to wait."_

_Jeff nodded, too shocked to speak. How could this woman know so much about his innermost longings and if he would ever reach them?_

_At last, she turned to Matt._

"_And you." Her voice held a peculiar tone to it. Almost like an exasperated parent dealing with a misbehaving child. _

"_You are a gentle and loving soul. You just have to be careful. Your emotions and your mind are immensely powerful and they may at times take control over you. You just need to work on keeping yourself grounded and under control._

_Your love for your brother..." she pointed at Jeff. The two looked at each other in surprise. How did she know they were brothers?_

"_...is obvious. It's very strong. You see yourself as his caretaker. His protector. I will tell you that the one thing he needs to be protected from the most is himself. He may get himself into things he shouldn't, and even though he is a grown adult, he is going to need you there to just make sure he's okay."_

_Matt looked at Jeff from the corner of his eye. In that moment, he made a solemn oath to himself._

_He'd be the best damn brother he could possibly be. He wouldn't slack now that they were adults. He'd protect Jeff no matter what._

"_And you're another one that will have to wait for your love," the woman continued._

" _You will try several times, and you may think that you've found true love on more than one occasion, but I can assure you it will take more than one try. I also warn you that when you find the one meant for you, cherish them. Do not take them for granted either."_

_Matt nodded solemnly, the four of them thanking her for her time before leaving her table, each with a million thoughts floating around in their head._

* * *

As he came back to the present, Jeff couldn't believe he had forgotten about that encounter from years ago. He looked from his brother, being held in Reby's arms, to Adam, lost in his own mind, and realized that she had been right. On all accounts.

He finally brought his eyes down to the man sitting beside him, his head now resting on Jeff's shoulder sleepily as he held their little girl.

Yeah. She'd definitely hit the nail on the head.

TBC

* * *

Wow, that was a long one. (Especially compared to the first two chapters for this story!) I hope this chapter wasn't too weird. I know I kind of went on an extremely long tangent there, but the scene at the fair is one that randomly came to me one day and it just would not leave me alone. Please let me know what you think. Your feedback helps me more than you know! Thank you again so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

It was going on 4 in the morning when a doctor finally came out.

They had all been moved to a private waiting room due to the sheer number of them. They had completely filled up the regular waiting room, not exactly making it easy for other patients and visitors to get through.

It was this change that had finally brought Adam out of his zombie-like trance.

He looked up, startled, as he was shaken gently by both his mothers.

"Baby, come on. We're moving. There's too many of us. They're putting us in our own waiting room."

Judy's words brought her son back to reality, his eyes taking in his surroundings for the first time in hours.

When the hell did all these people get here? Where did they come from? Adam couldn't believe it. It was a madhouse.

He felt himself being lifted by the shoulders from his chair.

"Come on, son," Randy Reso's familiar voice rumbled next to him.

Judy and Carol each wrapped an arm around his waist as they guided him to the new room. Once he sat down, he was able to clearly see everybody.

He saw WWE guys, both past and present, TNA guys, even some from ROH.

And Jay had impacted all of them. They all felt the need to be here when they heard about what happened.

It wasn't until that moment that Adam truly realized both just how many people's lives his lover had affected and how much of a bubble WWE had been keeping him in all these years. He'd never be able to say he had close relationships with this many people.

He saw Cabana talking in the corner with Bryan. Bubba and Devon off on their own.

Lance had flown in...Jericho...Fatty. He saw Rhyno attempting to make himself as small as possible, hiding his tears against the wall.

It all just seemed so surreal. Like this was happening to someone else and he was just watching. Like a ghost looking down on everyone.

He had been watching Ron Killings pace the floor back and forth when the doctor finally came in.

* * *

It was like a massive wave as everyone stood up at once.

Judy led Adam to the front, where they and the Resos came face-to-face with the doctor, Adam's knees shaking violently the entire time.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Stone. My team and I have been working on William-"

"Jason." Adam's voice cut off the startled doctor quickly. "His name is Jason."

A doctor calling his lover 'William' was something he never wanted to hear.

It was formal and sounded foreign to Adam. Something that would only come up surrounded by legal jargon or on some kind of binding document.

Like a death certificate.

Adam immediately shook that thought away, refusing to let his mind dwell on it.

"We've been working on Jason," the doctor corrected. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. His injuries are severe; we won't know the full extent of them until he wakes up, but he is alive. I truly don't know how he survived. By all accounts, he shouldn't have made it."

Randy and Josh came to either side of Adam, attempting to hold him up as he was bombarded with a million different emotions.

"I will ask that there be no visitors just yet," the doctor continued, "as they are still running some more tests, but once that has been completed, you will be able to see him one or two at a time. A nurse will come out once that time comes."

As the doctor made his exit, it was like one giant collective sigh was released by everyone in the room.

The majority were still worried, especially when it came to thoughts of possible brain injury, but they still all let themselves feel that bit of hope.

A tiny voice came from somewhere not far behind Adam.

"Unca Jay ok?"

He turned to see Ruby, now awake, staring up at Phil with wide eyes.

"I hope so, baby." Phil kissed the little girl on the forehead before making eye contact with Adam.

"I hope so."

* * *

Jeff whispered something into Phil's ear, causing the younger man to give him a nod and a quick kiss before Jeff walked over to Adam.

"Why don't we go take a walk for a bit?"

Adam immediately began shaking his head frantically.

"No, I can't. I can't leave. What if something happens while I'm gone? What if the doctor comes out and I'm not here?!"

Trying to calm her son before he reached the point of hysteria, Judy placed a hand on his arm, bringing him to look at her.

"Calm down. If anything happens, one of us will immediately come get you. You won't be going far; we'll find you. Go with Jeff. Just a short walk around the hospital. Go get something to eat. You need it right now. We'll get you the second we know anything, I promise."

Adam let out a reluctant sigh as he was led out of the room by Jeff.

* * *

They eventually ended up at the hospital's cafe, Jeff getting both of them some food, insisting Adam get something besides coffee into his system.

"So how you holding up, Ads?" he asked gently.

Hazel-green eyes flashed instantly.

"How do you think I feel? Jay almost died and could still be permanently damaged and it's all my fault."

Jeff gasped in shock. "Adam! This is _not _your fault. You had no control over what happened. Why would you even think that?!"

Adam was looking down at the table, his eyes quickly filling with tears.

"I was selfish. I made him feel like he had to come without even thinking. I fell right into the trap that fortune teller lady warned me about _again_, and this time I almost lost him!"

Jeff listened as the other man's voice broke, his eyes widening in surprise when a realization hit him.

"You remember the fortune teller?"

"Yeah," Adam answered once he was able to get himself somewhat under control. "She told me to never take him for granted, but that's exactly what I did. And now it could cost me him!"

Jeff leaned over, taking the other man's hand in his.

"You listen to me. Jay loves you. That's the only reason he did what he did. Because he loves you. And he knows you love him, Adam. He does. He's always known."

Adam nodded silently as, like Jeff had earlier, he let his mind travel back in time.

* * *

Neither of them had said a word during the trip back to their hotel room after their meeting with Vince.

As Jay unlocked the door, he held it open as Adam stepped inside, letting out a sigh as he watched the slightly older man sit dejectedly on the bed, his head in his hands.

This situation sucked. Absolutely sucked. _But_, he had to find a way to make it work. For Adam.

He walked over, kneeling at the foot of the bed as he gently removed Adam's hands from his hair, rubbing soothing circles on them.

"Listen. I know this situation isn't exactly the best it could be, but we'll make it work. I mean...we've been closer than any brothers could be...and that was before we even got together. We were friends first, remember? We can do this. And besides, if they're having us be "brothers" on screen, that means that we'll most likely have a lot of angles together. So we'll at least be able to spend most of our time together. Who knows if we would have been able to do that otherwise?"

Adam looked up at him after a few moments, a small smile curling his lips.

"You always know what to say, Jay-Jay."

"Hey. It's a gift."

The two of them laughed, the tension quickly leaving the room. It wasn't long after that that there was a knock on the door from their unofficial "welcome wagon."

* * *

Adam remembered how the four of them had been in those early days, trying to slowly build a name for themselves.

He remembered the first real public appearance he did for the company. It was the first time he felt the tiniest bit like a celebrity.

It was back home in Toronto and he hadn't been on TV for that long. He had no idea why Jay couldn't be with him. Something about Adam being more "aesthetically pleasing" for the young female audience.

Yeah, because _that _really made a difference.

He was talking to the few fans who were there when a beautiful blonde woman came up to him.

"Hi, I know this sounds crazy, but I'm a huge fan. I'm trying to get into the business. What can I do? How do I become you?"

Adam didn't take much of the woman's words in, his only thoughts being, 'Wow, she's hot, why can't I get my hair to go like that? And her clothes fit her perfectly.'

Adam brought himself out of his thoughts as he quickly signed for the young woman.

"What's your name?"

"Trish. I'm training with Ron down at Sully's."

"Oh, cool!" They talked for a bit before it was time to leave.

"I'll see you around," he told her, feeling like he had just made a new friend.

"Yeah. Hopefully see ya soon!" she called.

He'd remember to tell Jay about her once he got back.

TBC

* * *

There's not a whole lot of flashback in this chapter, unfortunately, but there will be much more in the next one. I hope at least you all enjoyed it. Let me know what you think. As always, thank you so so much for reading/reviewing. I appreciate it all! :)


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